Tubing wrench



Oct. 27, 1970 Filed April 26, 1968 J. A. BORRIES TUBING WRENCH 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JOHN A. BORE/E5 BY Maw 111 s 7, 7 J. A. BORRIES 3,535,960

TUBING WRENCH Filed April 26, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN A. BORE/E8 wi h M #373 CCC s 7 Oct. 27, 1970 j J. A. BORRIES 3,535,960

TUBING WRENCH Filed April 26, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet S5 F/GI 6 44 76 INVENTOR. JOHN A. Bonn/Es F /G 7 BY Maud I273 00m United States Patent 6 3,535,960 TUBWG WRENCH John A. Berries, Chesterland, Ohio, assignor to Cooper Industries, Inc, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 724,408 Int. 61. B251) 13/00, 17/00, 21/00 U.S. Cl. 81-5714 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tubing wrench including a housing which has a socket member rotatably mounted in an end portion thereof and having a starting position whereat a slot extending through the wall of the socket member is aligned with a corresponding slot in the end of the housing to permit access of the socket onto a length of tubing or other continuous conduit. The two idler gears are adapted to engage external teeth on the socket member and are spaced apart a distance at their points of engagement with the socket member teeth greater than the width of the slot in the socket member so that there is always driving engagement from the motive power source to the socket member. Detent means are provided between the housing and one of the drive train gears so as to sense the starting position hereinabove mentioned. An energy storing device such as a clock spring is connected in the drive train so that there is a given amount of winding up of the spring when the device is first actuated before driving engagement is effected. Upon stopping of the motive power means, the wound spring continues rotation of the main drive gear and the rest of the drive train until the detent is engaged whereat the slots in the housing and the socket member are again aligned.

Prior art devices relating to the present subject have been extremely awkward to operate and have many inherent disadvantages. A difficulty with prior art devices of this type is that the Workman must rotatably move the socket to a position where the slot therein will line up to withdraw the wrench from the tubing after deactuation of the device. The present invention provides an extremely reliable driving mechanism from the motive power source to the driven socket and differs from many prior devices in its continuous rotating operation. The present device also demonstrates a means for automatically returning the open end of the socket to a starting position when the motive power means is shut off, where it can be simply drawn off of the tubing or conduit member with which it is associated.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in section of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken generally along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the left end of the wrench shown in FIG. 2 with parts broken away to show the driving engagement of the socket member;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the socket member in a dilferent rotative position with respect to the housing; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the detent means shown in FIG. 1.

The tubing wrench of the present invention has been indicated generally by the reference numeral and as will be seen from the drawings, includes in combination a housing 22 which has first and second end portions 34 and 35, respectively. The housing is comprised essentially of a bottom plate 24 which has first and second side walls 25 and 26 which are integrally secured thereto and which extend at generally right angles thereto. A top plate 29 serves to close and cover the cavity defined by the bottom plate 24 and its attached side walls 25 and 26. The housing 22 also includes, at the second end portion 35, a gear and motor housing 31 appropriately secured thereto. The first end portion 34 of the housing 22 is provided with wall means which define a slot 37 which extends generally longitudinally a short distance into the housing in a direction toward the second end portion 35 of the housing. This slot or opening 37 may be said to extend axially into the housing. The slot 37 opens up into what will be referred to as a circular opening which serves to rotatably support an annular not driving socket member 39. This socket member 39 is provided with socket engaging walls 41 on the inner annular surface thereof. These walls 41, as shown in this particular embodiment, are hexagonal in shape to appropriately accommodate and manipulate a hexagonal nut. Different sizes of hexagonal sockets or different shapes will be used to accom modate various sizes and types of nuts. The socket member 39 is also provided with walls which define a 'slot 44 which extend generally radially through the wall of the socket member and is about the same width as the slot 37 in the housing. The socket member 39 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced gear teeth 46 on the outer pehiphery thereof and these gear teeth 46 extend completely around the periphery of the socket meinber with the exception of the slot 44, as best seen in FIG. 6.

First and second idler gears 48 and 49 respectively are rotatably mounted by the housing on pivot members 50 and as will be seen, the teeth thereof are located in driving engagement with the gear teeth 46 on the socket member 39. The circumferential distance between the points or area of driving engagement of the first and second idler gears 48 and 49 with the gear teeth 46 is greater than the width of the slot 44, or more technically, is greater than the distance across the slot in a circumferential direction defined by the gear teeth 46 (see FIG. 6).

The gear and motor housing 31 serve to house motive power means indicated generally by the reference numeral 51 which includes an air driven motor (not shown) which serves to drive an output spindle 52 which in turn drives a pinion 53 which drives a drive spindle 55. As best seen in FIG. 3, the drive spindle 55 cooperates with a main drive gear 57 and serves to rotate the same by means of a driving pin 59 which cooperate with a driving lug 62 on the main drive gear 57, which lug includes first and second abutments 63 and 64, respectively. This will be clear from a description of the operation of the device as detailed hereinafter. The arrangement of the driving pin 59 and driving lug 62 permits limited relative rotation between the drive spindle 55 and the main drive gear 57. As best seen in FIG. 4, an energy storing device in the nature of a clock spring 67 surrounds the lower end of the drive spindle 55, as viewed in FIG. 1, and has one end 68 fixedly connected to the drive spindle 55 and has the other end 69 fixedly connected to the main drive gear 57. This clock spring has been pro-Wound to a desired degree.

As best seen in FIG. 2, first and second power train gears 72 and 73, respectively, are rotatably mounted by the housing 22 and are in driving engagement with each other, with the first power train gear 72 being in driving engagement with the first and second idler gears 48 and 49 and the second power train gear 73 being in driving engagement with the main drive gear 57. The particular mounting of each of the gears and shafts which have been referred to hereinabove will not be described in any 3 greater detail and will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

As best seen in FIG. 7, detent means 76 are provided and act between the housing 22 and the power train gear 72 so as to locate the tool including the socket 39 in a starting or inactive position. The detent means include a spring biased plunger 77 carried by the housing, which serves to constantly urge a ball detent 78 into an opening 79 in the underside of the first power train gear 72. The underside of the gear 72 is also provided with an annular track 80. When the gear train is caused to operate upon actuation of the motive power means 51, the detent means is rendered ineffective and the gear 72 rotates relative to the detent means 76 with the ball detent 78 traveling in track 80, or more specifically the track 80 travels relative to the ball detent 78. It will be appreciated that the detent means 76 may assume many forms and for example might act on the socket member itself as distinguished from one of the drive gears.

The operation of the device is as follows. Assume that the tool is in the starting position as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, with the motive power means deactuated. In this condition with the slot 44 in alignment with the slot 37, the tool is manipulated by an operator so as to pass the slots 37 and 44 over a piece of tubing so as to locate the tube within the confines of the socket engaging walls 41. The tool then is moved so as to move the socket engaging walls 41 in the axial direction of the tubing so as to pass the hexagon shaped socket walls 41 into engagement with a hexagonally shaped nut (not shown) to either be tightened or loosened. When the motive power means are actuated, the drive spindle 55 is caused to rotate (counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 3), moving the driving pin 59 into engagement with the abutment 64 which causes rotation of the main drive gear 57 with subsequent rotation of the other gears in the drive train and rotation of the annular nut driving socket member 39. This causes appropriate rotation of the nut. Upon initially actuating the motive power means 51, the relative movement of the drive spindle 55 in traveling to the position shown in FIG. 3 to engagement with the abutment 64 causes further Winding of the clock spring 67 which does not cause movement of the drive train because the force of the detent means 76 is suflicient to retain the gear train in the given position. Engagement of the driving pin 59* with the abutment 64, however, overcomes the action of the detent means 76 and causes rotation of the drive train.

After the nut has been tightened, the motive power means are deactuated and it will be appreciated that the stopping of the socket member may occur at any angular position. For example, it may occur at the position shown in FIG. 6. The tubing wrench is then moved axially so as to draw the hexagonally shaped walls 41 off of the nut which has been tightened. However, with the socket member 39 in the position shown in FIG. 6, it will be observed that normally it would be impossible to withdraw the tool from the tube. The pre-wound clock spring 37, however, is of sufiicient force to cause the main drive gear 57 to continue to rotate with subsequent rotation of gears 73, 72, 4-8, 49 and socket member 39. This rotation continues until the ball detent 78 of the detent means 76 locates itself in the opening 79 in power train gear 72. This continued rotation will cause the pin 59 to be spaced from abutment 64 toward abutment 63. This position has been designed to come into effect when the socket member has reached the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 which is the starting position of the device and at this position the tool can then be withdrawn from the tubing as desired.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the socket member 39 will normally be rotated in a given direction by the motive power means to tighten or loosen a nut. In order to reverse the rotation of the nut with the same rotation of the socket member all that need be done is to rotate the tool 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis to present the opposite side of the socket member to the nut.

As a result of the above described structure, operation and result, it will be readily apparent that the advantages pointed out hereinabove are readily accomplished. It will be seen that by the use of the drive train and particularly the cooperation of the idler gears 48 and 49 with the socket gears 39, that a reliable driving of the socket member 39 results. The positioning of the idler gears 48 and 49 is such that it will bridge the width of the slot 44 in the socket member 39, assuring that no more than one of the idler gears will be located in the space of the slot 44 upon rotation of the socket member 39. The energy storing device in this embodiment, specifically a clock spring 37, which is interposed in the gear train and acts between the gear train and the housing, serves in combination with the detent means 76 to automatically return the socket member 39 to its starting position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A power driven tubing wrench comprising, in combination, an elongate housing having first and second end portions, wall means at said first end portion of said housing defining a housing slot extending generally longitudinally a short distance toward said second end portion and into said housing, an annular fastener driving socket member rotatably mounted in said housing at said first end portion of said housing and having fastener engaging means on the inner surface thereof, wall means defining a generally radially extending socket slot through said annular fastener driving socket member, said socket member having circumferentially spaced gear teeth on the outer periphery thereof terminating on either side of said socket slot, first and second idler gears rotatably mounted by said housing and being positioned for driving engagement with said gear teeth on said socket member, the circumferential distance between the points of driving engagement of said first and second idler gears with the gear teeth on said socket member being greater than the width of said socket slot, motive power means located in said second end portion of said housing and including a motor operably connected to a drive spindle and effective to drive said spindle in one direction, a main drive gear coaxial with said drive spindle, a driving pin carried by said spindle, a driving lug carried by said main drive gear and engageable with said driving pin to permit relative rotation of less than 360 between said drive spindle and said main drive gear, a spring member having one end connected to said drive spindle and another end connected to said main drive gear, said spring biased to urge said main drive gear in the same direction as said one direction of rotation of said spindle, an intermediate gear connecting said main drive gear and said idler gears, detent means acting between said housing and said intermediate gear and which, when engaged in the inactive position of the tool, locate said socket and housing slots in alignment, whereby activation of said motor will drive said drive spindle in said one direction to further bias said spring until said driving pin and lug make contact to drive said main drive gear, intermediate gear and idlers to drive said socket in said one direction and whereby, when said motor stops and said socket is removed from said fastener, said spring will unwind to drive said main drive gear, intermediate gear, idler gears and said socket in said same one direction until said detent means stop said spring movement and said socket and housing slots are aligned.

2. A power driven tubing wrench compising, in combination, an elongate housing having a source of rotary power at one end and a rotatable socket for detachable connection to the fastener to be rotated at the other end, said socket and said housing each having an open slot which slots, when aligned by rotation of said socket, will provide a passage into said socket from ouside said housing, and drive means operably connecting said rotatable socket and said rotary power source whereby rotation of said power source in one direction will rotate said socket in one direction, said drive means including a first driven member rotated in said one direction by said power source, a second driven member coaxial with said first driven member, a detent and lug located on said first and second driven members in interfering position to permit relative rotation thereof less than 360, a bias member interconnected between said first and second driven members to urge said second driven member in said one direction relative to said first member, intermediate gear means operably connecting said second driven member to said rotatable socket and detent means (1) effective to stop movement of said intermediate gear means at a predetermined angular position corresponding to the aligned positions of said socket and housing slots when said intermediate gear is moved solely by said bias member but (2) ineifective to stop said intermediate gear when driven by said rotary power source, whereby rotation of said drive means by said power source in said one direction will continuously drive said socket in said one direction and whereby, when said power source stops and resistance to further rotation of said socket in said one direction is removed, said bias means will move said second driven member, said intermediate gear means and said socket in the same direction until said detent means stops said movement.

3. The power driven tubing wrench of claim 2 wherein said rotary power source is a fluid motor having an output shaft operably connected to said first driven member.

4. The power driven tubing wrench of claim 2 wherein said detent means comprises a member secured relative to said housing and positioned to interfere with free rotation of said intermediate gear at said predetermined angular position thereof, with said interfering force sufificient to prevent further rotation of said intermediate gear beyond said predetermined angular position when driven solely by said bias means but insufficient to do so when said rotary power source is driving said drive means.

5. The power driven tubing wrench of claim 4- wherein said member secured relative to said housing is a spring biased element effective to create an interfering force effective to overcome the driving force of said bias member but ineffective to overcome the driving force of said rotary power source.

6. The power driven tubing wrench of claim 2 wherein said bias member interconnected between said first and second driven members is a coil spring having its opposite ends connected to said first and second driven members and arranged so as to bias said second driven member in the said one direction of rotation of said first driven member.

7. The power driven tubing wrench of claim 2 which further includes a pair of idler gears interconnecting said intermediate gear and said rotatable socket, said idler gears in driving engagement with the external periphery of said socket and spaced apart a distance, measured along the periphery of said socket, greater than the width of said socket slot.

8. A tubing wrench for threaded fasteners and driven by an air motor comprising, in combination, a housing containing an air motor and an annular rotatable socket journalled for rotation in the one end, said one end of said housing and said socket each having an open slot extending radially into the socket interior, drive means connecting said air motor to said rotatable socket to rotate said socket in one direction, and auxiliary drive means incorporated in said drive means and actuated upon stopping rotation of said air motor and upon release of said socket from the fastener being driven and effective to further rotate said socket in said one direction to a position with its slot in alignment with said housing slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JAMES L. JONES, 112., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 81-582 

